MOSCOW, June 26. /TASS/. Russia's security services are already investigating whether Western intelligence agencies were involved in the events of June 24, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told RT television on Monday.
"I work in a government ministry that is not engaged in gathering evidence of unlawful acts being committed, but we do have such agencies and, I assure you, they are already looking into it," Lavrov said, when asked if there was evidence indicating that either Ukrainian intelligence services or their Western counterparts were in any way involved in the attempted armed insurrection on June 24.
On the evening of June 23, Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the Wagner Private Military Company (PMC), alleged on his Telegram channel that Wagner units were attacked, accusing Russia’s top brass of complicity in the situation. The Defense Ministry in turn termed the information as fake. Wagner units, supported by Prigozhin, headed for Rostov-on-Don and then toward Moscow. The FSB opened a criminal case concerning a call for armed insurrection. Russian President Vladimir Putin called Wagner’s actions a betrayal in a televised address. Later, by agreement with Putin, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko held talks with Prigozhin, following which the Wagner fighters stood down and retreated to their base camp.
On June 24, the National Antiterrorism Committee introduced a counter-terrorism operation regime in the City of Moscow, the Moscow Region and the Voronezh Region, in a first for the three regions.
On Monday, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said that all restrictions imposed on Moscow residents due to the counter-terrorism operation were being lifted. Restrictions were also lifted in the Moscow and Voronezh regions.